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Big banks add October cut to ECB forecasts
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
LONDON (Reuters) -Major brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, now expect the
LONDON (Reuters) -Major brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, now expect the European Central Bank to deliver a quarter-point cut at its Oct. 17 meeting, revising their forecasts on Friday on recent data showing economic weakness and slowing inflation.
Market pricing now reflects around a 70% chance of such a rate cut, which would follow reductions at the ECB’s June and September meetings, as the data pushes policy makers to focus more on growth and less on price pressures.
Euro zone business activity contracted sharply and unexpectedly in September, surveys showed, as the bloc’s dominant services industry flatlined and a downturn in manufacturing accelerated, while inflation in France and Spain for September came in very soft.
Sources told Reuters that ECB policy doves are preparing to fight for an October rate cut – though this would likely meet resistance from more conservative peers – a turnaround from the aftermath of the ECB’s September meeting when they saw an October move as unlikely.
Here are the latest forecasts from some brokerages.
Terminal
Brokerage Oct ’24 rate Dec ’24 rate/end ’25 forecast
cut estimate estimate (bps)
(bps)
Goldman 25 25 2.0% (June 2025)
Sachs
HSBC 25 25 2.25% (April 2025)
BNP 25 25 2.25% (end-2025
Paribas forecast)
RBC 25 25 2.25% (April 2025)
JPMorgan 25 25 2.0% (June 2025)
Barclays 25 25 2.00% (June 2025)
25 25 2.50%
TD (March 2025)
25 25 Close to
Jefferies 2.00% (end 2025)
Deutsche – 25 2.0%-2.5% (mid-2025)
Bank
Citi – 25 Likely
under 2%
UBS IB – 25 2.25% (end-2025
forecast)
ING – 25 2.25% (end 2025
forecast)
BBVA – 25 2.75% (November 2025)
SEB – 25 2.00% (end 2025)
(Reporting by EMEA markets team and the Broker Research team in Bengaluru; Editing by Amanda Cooper)
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the euro and administers monetary policy within the Eurozone, aiming to maintain price stability and support economic growth.
Interest rates are the cost of borrowing money or the return on savings, expressed as a percentage. They are influenced by central banks and affect economic activity.
Monetary policy refers to the actions taken by a central bank to manage the money supply and interest rates to achieve macroeconomic objectives such as controlling inflation and fostering economic growth.
Economic growth is the increase in the production of goods and services in an economy over a period of time, typically measured by the rise in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services rises, eroding purchasing power. It is typically measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
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